According to Wikipedia: "John Ruskin (8 February 1819 – 20 January 1900) is best known for his work as an art critic, stage writer, and social critic, but is remembered as an author, poet and artist as well. Ruskin's essays on art and architecture were extremely influential in the Victorian and Edwardian eras."

Just a Book of Limericks

Classic play. According to Wikipedia: "Thackeray is most often compared to one other great novelist of Victorian literature, Charles Dickens. During the Victorian era, he was ranked second only to Dickens, but he is now much less read and is known almost exclusively for Vanity Fair. In that novel he was able to satirize whole swaths of humanity while retaining a light touch. It also features his most memorable character, the engagingly roguish Becky Sharp. As a result, unlike Thackeray's other novels, it remains popular with the general reading public; it is a standard fixture in university courses and has been repeatedly adapted for movies and television. In Thackeray's own day, some commentators, such as Anthony Trollope, ranked his History of Henry Esmond as his greatest work, perhaps because it expressed Victorian values of duty and earnestness, as did some of his other later novels. It is perhaps for this reason that they have not survived as well as Vanity Fair, which satirizes those values."

Classic Shakespearean comedy, with line numbers. According to Wikipedia: "The Taming of the Shrew is an early comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1590 and 1594. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a drunken tinker named Sly is tricked into thinking he is a nobleman by a mischievous Lord. The Lord has a play performed for Sly's amusement with a primary and sub-plot. The main plot depicts the courting of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate, and eponymous shrew. Katherina is at first an unwilling participant in the relationship but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments - the "taming" - until she is an obedient bride. The sub-plot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's less intractable sister, Bianca."

This book includes: Gondoliers, Grand Duke, H.M.S Pinafore, Iolanthe, The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, Ruddigore, The Sorcerer, Thespis, Trial by Jury, Utopia Limited, Yeomen of the Guard, and Patience. All of these plays/operettas were written 1871 to 1896. According to Wikipedia: "Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian era partnership of librettist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900). Together, they wrote fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado are among the best known. Gilbert, who wrote the words, created fanciful "topsy-turvy" worlds for these operas, where each absurdity is taken to its logical conclusion—fairies rub elbows with British lords, flirting is a capital offence, gondoliers ascend to the monarchy, and pirates turn out to be noblemen who have gone wrong. Sullivan, six years Gilbert's junior, composed the music, contributing memorable melodies that could convey both humour and pathos. Producer Richard D'Oyly Carte brought Gilbert and Sullivan together and nurtured their collaboration. He built the Savoy Theatre in 1881 to present their joint works—which came to be known as the Savoy Operas—and he founded the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, which performed and promoted their works for over a century. The Gilbert and Sullivan operas have enjoyed broad and enduring international success and are still performed frequently throughout the English-speaking world. The collaboration introduced innovations in content and form that directly influenced the development of musical theatre through the 20th century. The operas have also influenced political discourse, literature, film and television and have been widely parodied and pastiched by humorists."

Classic satiric play. According to Wikipedia: "Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol ( 1809 - 1852) was a Russian writer of Ukrainian ethnicity. Although his early works were heavily influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing and identity, he wrote in Russian and his works belong to the tradition of Russian literature; often called the "father of modern Russian realism," he was one of the first Russian authors to criticize his country's way of life. The novels Taras Bul'ba (1835; 1842 [revised edition]), Dead Souls (1842), the play The Inspector-General (1836, 1842), and the short story The Overcoat (1842) are among his masterpieces."

Un volum cuprinzand studii si documente descoperite in arhivele romane si straine (aproximativ 900 pagini) privind istoria conflictului mondial din 1939-1945 si a razboiului rece. Lucrarea reflecta, in esenta, batalia pentru informatii angajata intre serviciile de spionaj dupa 1939, pregatirea si infaptuirea loviturii de stat de la 23 August 1944, lupta pentru putere la nivelul conducerii P.C.R. (1944-1989), premisele loviturii de stat din 22 decembrie 1989, prabusirea statului comunist in Europa Est-Centrala e.t.c.

KING CHARLES THE FIRST was born in Scotland. It may perhaps surprise the reader that an English king should be born in Scotland. The explanation is this:??They who have read the history of Mary Queen of Scots, will remember that it was the great end and aim of her life to unite the crowns of England and Scotland in her own family. Queen Elizabeth was then Queen of England. She lived and died unmarried. Queen Mary and a young man named Lord Darnley were the next heirs. It was uncertain which of the two had the strongest claim. To prevent a dispute, by uniting these claims, Mary made Darnley her husband. ??They had it son, who, after the death of his father and mother, was acknowledged to be the heir to the English throne, whenever Elizabeth's life should end. In the meantime he remained King of Scotland. His name was James. He married a princess of Denmark; and his child, who afterward was King Charles the First of England, was born before he left his native realm.

Cartea de fa?? vrea s? relateze succint, dar temeinic, evenimentele petrecute în cei dou?zeci de ani de insecuritate ?i criz? ce au urmat Marelui R?zboi. Indiferent cât de puternice sau de durat? au fost for?ele ce au dus la izbucnirea celui de-al Doilea R?zboi Mondial, a existat un moment când principalii actori pe scena istoriei s-au v?zut nevoi?i s? se confrunte cu aceste for?e ?i s? ia anumite decizii. Marile evenimente ale istoriei î?i genereaz? o dinamic? ?i o desf??urare proprii. Din perspectiva noastr?, a celor de acum, al Doilea R?zboi Mondial pare s? fi izbucnit din cauza crizei interna?ionale provocate de Germania lui Hitler. Îns? nimic din ce se întâmpl? în istorie nu este inevitabil, dup? cum va încerca s? demonstreze acest volum. Dialogul straniu între sistem ?i actorii lui se afl? la baza relat?rii istorice. Evenimentele înse?i pot fi, în acela?i timp, cauz? ?i efect – la fel cum s-a întâmplat ?

Istoria serviciilor de informa?ii sovietice continu? s? fie un mister“, m?rturise?te Boris Volodarski, fost c?pitan în Serviciul de Informa?ii Militare din URSS (GRU), unul dintre cei mai mari exper?i în studierea serviciilor secrete sovietice. ?i tot Volodarski este de p?rere c? majoritatea materialelor publicate pe aceast? tem? este plin? de falsuri ?i de informa?ii distorsionate, incluzând aici ?i memoriile publicate de fo?tii agen?i. Noile documente disponibile ast?zi ne permit s? cunoa?tem mult mai bine adev?rul despre interven?ia sovietic? în Spania ?i rolul jucat de agen?ii URSS: Gerö, Grigulevici, Philby (ini?ial trimis cu misiunea de a-l asasina pe Franco), Kol?ov ?i, mai ales, Lev Nikolski, cunoscut drept Aleksandr Orlov – omul care i-a în?elat pe Stalin ?i pe cei de la CIA, ?i chiar lumea întreag? cu memoriile sale. Acesta a condus, din februarie 1937, sta?ia NKVD din Spania ?i a fost responsabil de o etap? important? a regimului de teroare sângeroas?, care a inclus asasinarea lui Kurt Landau ?i a lui Andreu Nin. Cartea de fa??, care demonteaz? o cantitate impresionant? de fabula?ii, falsuri ?i minciuni, ce continu? s? fie propagate ?i ast?zi, va fi, f?r? îndoial?, o referin?? indispensabil? pentru to?i cei care î?i propun s? studieze R?zboiul Civil din Spania.

Junimea ?i revista Convorbiri literare, pentru o ?ar? ca a noastr?, a tuturor nea?ez?rilor, au fost un suflu de temeinicie care s-a mai repetat ?n perioada interbelic?, f?r? a reu?i s? se coaguleze ca urmare a r?zboiului ?i dictaturilor ce l-au ?nso?it ?i urmat; suflu care pare ?nc? departe, ca s? nu spunem imposibil s? revin? ?n cultura rom?n? sub presiunea globalismului ?i multiculturalismului, a deconstruc?iei cu program ?n toate manifest?rile social-culturale, materiale ?i spirituale. E un model care, dup? o sut? cincizeci de ani, ?nc? ??i trimite razele f?r? a primi o reflectare pe m?sur?.Ceea ce deosebe?te criticismul junimist de criticile epocii ?i, ?n parte, ?i de al ?nainta?ilor este atitudinea comun?, afirmat? de Maiorescu, respectul adev?rului.Importan?a ?i influen?a junimismului ?n sfera politic? sunt de acela?i nivel cu cele afirmate ?n plan cultural ?i literar, e drept, nu cu aceea?i durabilitate, politicul este mult mai efemer, dar nu mai pu?in implicat ?i cu efecte imediate ?i adesea pe termen mediu ?i lung ?n via?a social? a ??rii. (Cassian Maria Spiridon)

Aceast? carte este un demers pe care l-am g?ndit ca pe o lucrare de sintez? care s? surprind?, ?n m?sura posibilit??ilor, puncte de referin?? ?ntre texte ?i autori din perioade diferite, din Evul Mediu european ?i Rena?tere, con?tient? fiind c? epoca medieval? nu trebuie considerat? cu nimic mai prejos dec?t grandorile Greciei vechi sau ale Rena?terii. Problematica acestui concept al Alegoriei ?n receptarea sa de c?tre literatura Evului Mediu, dar ?i de c?tre epocile ulterioare, este complex? ?i bogata bibliografie ce i s-a consacrat ?n ultimele decenii nu face dec?t s? provoace la noi discu?ii ?i interpret?ri a?a cum este ?i aceast? lucrare.

O istorie politico-sentimental? a capitalei noastre. De ce o istorie politico-sentimental?? Pentru c?, ?n evolu?ia Bucure?tiului, de-alungul secolelor, afacerile politice s-au ?mpletit adesea, inevitabil, cu b?t?ile inimii. Chiar prima perioad? a cet??ii, ca ?i capital? domneasc?, tutelat? de figu ra dominant? a doamnei Chiajna, poate fi b?nuit? de un senzualism crud care a deschis drum acelui fenomen pe care Ionescu-Gion ?l numea at?t de plastic ?ginecolatrie“, adic? ascultarea dovedit? de domnitorii valahi fa?? de so?iile lor.

AT the east end of the choir aisle of the Cathedral there is a portion of the wall which is possibly the oldest piece of masonry in Oxford, for it is thought to be a part of the original Church of St. Frideswyde, on whose site the Cathedral Church of Christ (to give its full title) now stands. Even so it is not possible to speak with historical certainty of the saint or of the date of her Church, which was built for her by her father, so the legend says, when she took the veil; though the year 740 may be provisionally accepted as the last year of her life. St. Frideswyde's was a conventual Church, with a Priory attached, and both were burnt down in 1002, but rebuilt by Ethelred. How much of his handiwork survives in the present structure it is not easy to de-termine; but the Norman builders of the twelfth century effected, at any rate, such a transformation that no suggestion of Saxon architecture is obtruded. Their work went on for some twenty years, under the supervision of the then Prior, Robert of Cricklade, and the Church was consecrated anew in 1180. The main features of the interior—the massive pillars and arches—are substantially the same to-day as the builders left them then. THIS BOOK, is not intended to compete with any existing guides to Oxford: it is not a guide-book in any formal or exhaustive sense. Its purpose is to shew forth the chief beauties of the University and City, as they have ap-peared to several artists; with such a running commentary as may explain the pictures, and may indicate whatever is most interesting in connection with the scenes which they represent. Slight as the notes are, there has been no sacrifice, it is believed, of accuracy. The principal facts have been derived from Alexander Chalmers' History of the Colleges, Halls, and Public Buildings of the University of Oxford, from Mr. Lang's Oxford, and from the Oxford and its Colleges of Mr. J. Wells. The illustrations, with the exception of six only, which are derived from Ackermann's Oxford, are reproduced from the paintings of living artists, mostly by Mr. W. Matthison, the others by Mrs. C. R. Walton, Walter S. S. Tyrwhitt, Mr. Bayzant, and Miss E. S. Cheesewright.

n vara anului 1914, cea mai mare parte a Europei s-a prbuit ntr-un rzboi att de catastrofal nct a zdruncinat politica i nsui sistemul de credine al continentului ntr-un mod fundamental. Dezastrul i-a nspimntat pe supravieuitori i a ocat o civilizaie care i asumase total rolul de model pentru restul lumii. Totul s-a prbuit ntr-un haos de o slbticie aflat dincolo de orice termen de comparaie. n 1939, europenii aveau s nceap un al doilea conflict care a reuit s fie chiar i mai teribil – un rzboi n care uciderea civililor a ocupat scena central i care a culminat cu Holocaustul. Drumul spre iadne spune aceast poveste cu nelegere, fler i originalitate. Kershaw reia evenimentele ntr-o naraiune fascinant, dar abordeaz i problemele cele mai dificile pe care le ridic aceste ntmplri din trecut – ce au nsemnat ele pentru europenii care le-au declanat i care le-au trit i ce nseamn pentru noi. Istorie la dimensiuni epice... ar trebui s figureze n lista lecturilor obligatorii. –The New York Times Ne aflm n prezena unui istoric emerit.– Spectator Magistral.– The Economist

Indezirabilii, publicat sub egida Institutului de Istorie ?George Bari?iu“ al Academiei Rom?ne, scoate la lumin? informa?ii pu?in cunoscute despre exodul etnicilor evrei, rom?ni, ru?i ?i ucraineni din URSS ?n Rom?nia.Cauzele, mijloacele emigr?rii, reac?ia autorit??ilor, a popula?iei autohtone ?i a organiza?iilor interna?ionale, fenomenele conexe sunt relevate ?n contextul profundelor transform?ri sociale ?i politice din perioada 1919-1939. Prezentarea unor texte scrise de ?i despre emigran?i ofer? detalii asupra atrocit??ilor comise de regimul sovietic, a modului ?n care au fost percepu?i ?i a celui ?n care au perceput indezirabilii statul na?ional unitar rom?n.Fragment din subsec?iunea ?Trecerea Nistrului ?n ambele sensuri: motive ?i consecin?e“Unul din efectele masacrelor de la Nistru din lunile februarie-martie 1932 ?i ale noului val de refugia?i din RASS Moldoveneasc? asupra opiniei publice din Rom?nia a constat ?n exprimarea pozi?iei fa?? de evenimentele tragice ?n publica?ii. Jurnali?tii ?i cercet?torii nu s-au limitat la analiza evenimentelor, ci au publicat o serie ?ntreag? de materiale despre istoria regiunii transnistrene ?i a rom?nilor de acolo. De exemplu, potrivit lui Pamfil ?eicaru, amplificarea represiunilor din URSS reprezenta unul din aspectele luptei ?mpotriva tradi?iei (familia, p?m?ntul, religia), iar rom?nii transnistreni – un bastion de ?nd?r?tnic? rezisten?? a tradi?iei. ?n fapt, purificarea regiunii transnistrene, echivala cu desfiin?area pseudo-autonomiei moldovene?ti, iar dispari?ia entit??ii intra ?n linia necesit??ilor de via?? ale centraliz?rii Moscovei, trec?nd peste particularit??ile provinciale. Motivele extermin?rii sunt rezumate ?n finalul analizei: ?Moldovenii n-au fost buni, n-au slujit scopurilor pentru care li se d?duse chiar ?i titlul de Republic? Moldoveneasc?, dispari?ia lor a ap?rut ca o porunc? nivelatoare a standardului na?ional conceput de Stalin. ?i de pe p?m?nturile unde tr?iesc de veacuri, de pe malurile Nistrului, sunt porni?i ?n dep?rt?rile pustii ?i ?nghe?ate ale Siberiei. Drumul lung ?i greu, foamea, bolile, le va tot ?mpu?ina num?rul, p?n? ce nu va mai r?m?ne niciunul din neamul blestemat al moldovenilor, ace?ti ?nd?r?tnici adversari ai uniformiz?rii staliniste. De-a lungul Rusiei ro?ii (tot at?t de milostiv? ca ?i Rusia ?arist?) mormintele lor vor ?nsemna drumul crucific?rii moldave. ?i ieri ?i azi Pohod na Sibir! Numai imbecilii ??i ?nchipuie c? esen?a na?iilor se schimb? prin revolu?ii“. La 23 martie 1932, sub impresia cazurilor, individuale sau de grup, aproape zilnice, de ?mpu?care a ??ranilor rom?ni care ?ncercau s? p?trund? din Transnistria ?n Rom?nia, Pamfil ?eicaru dezvolta ideea de standardizare spiritual? prin represiune masiv?, exterminatorie, ?ntr-un articol cu accente directe antiminoritare ?i indirecte antiguvernamentale. Raportat la incapacitatea sau imposibilitatea opririi crimelor de la frontiera sovieto-rom?n?, directorul Curentului propunea efectuarea unui schimb de popula?ie cu URSS, mediat de Societatea Na?iunilor: ?[…] exact ?n propor?ia numeric? a moldovenilor de peste Nistru ce ni s-ar trimite, am expedia comuni?ti ruteni, oameni converti?i ce nu ar mai necesita at?ta trud? uciga?? c?te sunt constr?nse autorit??ile sovietice s? fac?“. O critic? explicit? viza rolul activ pe care ar fi trebuit s?-l joace Societatea Na?iunilor: ?Un mijloc foarte simplu de a curma un asasinat, un semn de prezen?? uman? a institu?iei de asisten?? a popoarelor, de activ? prezen?? a Societ??ii Na?iunilor“. Trebuie men?ionat ?ns? faptul c?, ?ntr-un articol ulterior, se consemna sprijinul acordat de A. ?ulghin, reprezentantul ucrainean la Geneva, delega?iei Rom?niei, care a cerut condamnarea masacrelor de la Nistru ?n format multilateral. Mai mult dec?t at?t, putem observa c? ucrainenii sunt men?iona?i pe l?ng? etnicii rom?ni ca victime ale atrocit??ilor: ?Masacrele s-au repetat, ??ranii au fost ?mpu?ca?i f?r? mil?, rom?ni ?i ucraineni laolalt?“.

Cartea constituie un foarte dens ?i interesant manual indirect de istorie a Americii, adres?ndu-se elevilor, studen?ilor, precum ?i publicului larg de cititori. O carte despre fragmentele cele mai controversate ale istoriei Americii.

Descent Into Hell is a novel written by Charles Williams, first published in 1937. Williams is less well known than his fellow Inklings, such as C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Like some of them, however, he wrote a series of novels which combine elements of fantasy fiction and Christian symbolism. Forgoing the detective fiction style of most of his earlier supernatural novels, most of the story's action is spiritual or psychological in nature. It fits the "theological thriller" description sometimes given to his works. For this reason Descent was initially rejected by publishers, though T. S. Eliot's publishing house Faber and Faberwould eventually pick up the novel, as Eliot admired Williams's work, and, though he did not like Descent Into Hell as well as the earlier novels, desired to see it printed.SHORT SUMMARY: The action takes place in Battle Hill, outside London, amidst the townspeople's staging of a new play by Peter Stanhope. The hill seems to reside at the crux of time, as characters from the past appear, and perhaps at a doorway to the beyond, as characters are alternately summoned heavenwards or descend into hell. Pauline Anstruther, the heroine of the novel, lives in fear of meeting her own doppelganger, which has appeared to her throughout her life. But Stanhope, in an action central to the author's own theology, takes the burden of her fears upon himself—Williams called this The Doctrine of Substituted Love—and enables Pauline, at long last, to face her true self. Williams drew this idea from the biblical verse, "Ye shall bear one another's burdens" And so Stanhope does take the weight, with no surreptitious motive, in the most affecting scene in the novel. And Pauline, liberated, is able to accept truth.On the other hand, Lawrence Wentworth, a local historian, finding his desire for Adela Hunt to be unrequited, falls in love instead with a spirit form of Adela, which seems to represent a kind of extreme self-love on his part. As he isolates himself more and more with this insubstantial figure, and dreams of descending a silver rope into a dark pit, Wentworth begins the descent into Hell.HARROWING of HELL: "Christ in Limbo" and "Descent into Hell" redirect here. For the novel by Charles Williams, see Descent into Hell (novel). For the 8th-century Anglo-Saxon liturgical play, see Harrowing of Hell (drama).

Un fascinant discurs despre unul dintre cei mai celebri ?i cei mai disputa?i actori ?i regizori, cu istorii scandaloase al c?ror personaj atipic a fost, cu via?? – nu totdeauna lipsit? de r?sp?ntii ?i suspans – de culise a acestui filosof al scenei ?i bufon metafizic al existen?ei. Autoarei i s-a decernat pentru aceast? carte Premiul Uniunii Cinea?tilor din Rom?nia.

Doamna Marusia CIRSTEA, doctor in stiinte istorice, a investigat, in baza cercetarii unei extrem de bogate bibliografii si a unor studii intense in arhivele diplomatice si militare interne (Arhiva Ministerului de Externe al Romaniei - Bucuresti, Arhivele Militare Nationale – Bucuresti si Pitesti, Arhivele Nationale ale Romaniei - Bucuresti, Biblioteca Nationala si Biblioteca Academiei Romane, ambele din Bucuresti), o problema de mare interes, abordata pana acum de numerosi istorici romani si straini (Paul D. Quinlan, Elisabeth Barker, V. F. Dobrinescu, Gh. Pascalau, Ion Patroiu s.a.). Tocmai de aceea, meritul autoarei este cu totul deosebit, intrucat, bazandu-se pe rezultatele cercetarilor anterioare, dar, aprofundandu-le si completandu-le substantial cu documente inedite, este in masura sa realizeze o contributie stiintifica de reala valoare pe marginea evolutiei raporturilor politico-diplomatice intre Romania si Marea Britanie intr-una din perioadele cele mai captivante si mai dificile ale epocii contemporane – ajunul conflagratiei mondiale din 1939-1945. Asa dupa cum se subliniaza in ampla Introducere, problema cercetata ?constituie o tema de studiu si de reflectie importanta, interesanta si plina de invataminte, nu numai pentru istoricul de astazi, dar si pentru omul simplu, pasionat de istorie si, indeosebi, pentru politicianul si diplomatul care trebuie sa gaseasca solutii practice unor aspecte interesand raporturile internationale“ (p. 3). Astfel, dupa o pertinenta si documentata Introducere, care elucideaza si aspectele istoriografice ale cercetarii, autoarea realizeaza o consistenta monografie privind relatiile dintre Bucuresti si Londra intre 1936 si 1939, in cuprinsul a patru capitole judicios repartizate pentru a se asigura tratarea globala si unitara a materiei. De un mare interes si cu o importanta pondere in economia lucrarii se dovedesc, nu mai putin, Concluziile (pp. 200-213), Bibliografia (pp. 214-232) si cele 25 de Anexe (pp. 233-350).Ultimele luni de pace si inceputul celui de-al doilea razboi mondial, evolutia raporturilor anglo-romane in context fac obiectul celui de-al IV-lea capitol. Principalele evenimente tratate sunt, in ordine cronologica, faimosul caz Tilea; garantiile franceze si britanice acordate Poloniei, Greciei si Romaniei; rostul pactului sovieto-german din 23 august 1939 in politica europeana; declansarea razboiului si atitudinea Romaniei si, in sfarsit, proclamarea neutralitatii Romaniei in razboi vizavi de implicarea Marii Britanii in ostilitati. Temeinicia cercetarii este atestata de o bogata si sistematica Bibliografíe, care, fara indoiala, intregeste, in chip fericit, textul lucrarii. In acelasi timp, Anexele ingaduie specialistului si cititorului interesat sa aprecieze amploarea si seriozitatea investigatiilor arhivistice.

Volumul cuprinde un amplu studiu introductiv (aprox. 50 pag.) si o selectie – pe tema stabilita in titlu – de 200 documente inedite descoperite in arhivele britanice, americane, franceze, germane si foste sovietice.